Loving the Green Smoothie

During the past year I've met several people who swear by some sort of breakfast or dinner shake or smoothie. Protein shakes, fruit smoothies, almond shakes. I've been a bit put off by all of this. Why would you want to drink a meal?

This summer my husband and I visited friends in Duluth, and they didn't ask if we wanted to try these absurd concoctions. They just made us green smoothies for breakfast. Yogurt, bananas, blueberries, and spring mix lettuce. They were an odd color, but since I am well-trained in Midwestern politeness, I took a bitty sip.

My eyes widened.

"This is... this is good!" I proclaimed.

After doing a bit more research, the husband and I have jumped on the green smoothie bandwagon. The ingredients? Any type of yogurt, a bunch of fruit, and a couple large handfuls of something lettuce-related. Baby spinach. Kale. Romaine. Spring mix. Arugula.

The best part? I cannot even taste the greens! When I try to sit down to a salad I can't get much in me. I'll eat the veggies off, the candied nuts, the sliced pears, the raspberries, but the lettuce part is not my favorite. This way I get tons of greens in me without even noticing, along with a couple servings of healthy fruit (gluten free girls need fiber!) and some live and active cultures in the yogurt.

Before you turn your nose up, give it a try. They're a great addition to a gluten free diet, or just a healthier one!

This one was heavier on the fruit than the greens, but after making these all week we actually ran out of baby spinach! Whoa. Isn't that the stuff that usually rots in the fridge's crisper?

Ingredients for my favorite green smoothie to date:

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup pineapple
2 cups baby spinach (or more, if you're brave...)
1 8oz peach yogurt
a splash of apple juice

Blend. Eat. Serves two.